1959 Pan American Games
 Official logo of the Chicago 1959 Pan American Games. | |||
| Host city | Chicago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | ||
| Nations participating | 25 | ||
| Athletes participating | 2,263 | ||
| Events | 166 in 18 sports | ||
| Opening ceremony | August 27 | ||
| Closing ceremony | September 7 | ||
| Officially opened by | Milton S. Eisenhower[1] | ||
| Main venue | Soldier Field | ||
| |||
The 3rd Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959.
Background
The games were originally awarded to Cleveland. Cleveland withdrew from hosting the games due to financial reasons. The original backup-host, Guatemala, withdrew even before Cleveland. São Paulo, Brazil and Chicago competed to replace Cleveland as the host of the Pan American Games. Chicago defeated São Paulo 13-6 in the Pan American Games Committee vote held August 3, 1957. São Paulo later would go on to host the following edition.[2]
Organization
Once Chicago took over the game following Cleveland's withdrawal, there were 18 months left to organize the games. The games were held on-schedule nonetheless. The games were the first Pan American Games to be held in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. The previous two editions were held in March.[2]
The Games
The games opened on August 27, 1959, in sunny 90 °F (32 °C) heat before 40,000 people in Chicago, Illinois, United States at Soldier Field.
Medal count
| 1 | Host nation |
To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the 
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 115/122 | 69/73 | 52/54 | 236/249 |
| 2 |  | 9 | 19/22 | 11/12 | 39/43 |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| 4 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 6 | 11 | 12/13 | 29/30 |
| 5 | .svg.png){kind=small} | 5/7 | 19/21 | 24/28 | 48/56 |
Note ^ The medal counts for the United States, Argentina, Mexico and Canada are disputed.
Sports and Venues
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- Athletics at Soldier Field[3]
- Baseball at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park[4]
- Basketball at Alumni Gymnasium (Men's) and Oak Park High School (Women's)[5][6]
- Boxing at Northwest Armoury
- Cycling at Gately Stadium temporary venue (Track Cycling)[7]
- Diving at Portage Park
- Football (soccer) at Hanson Stadium[8] and Soldier Field[9]
- Gymnastics at Navy Pier[5]
- Modern Pentathlon at Waukegan Shooting Range (shooting), Great Lakes Naval Training Center (fencing), Independence Grove (equestrian show-jumping and cross-country running), and Portage Park (swimming)[4]
- Rowing in the Cal-Sag Channel[4][5]
- Sailing in Lake Michigan
- Swimming at Portage Park[10]
- Tennis at Lincoln Park Tennis Club[4]
- Volleyball at Proviso High School[5]
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling at Reavis High School[5]
References
- ↑ The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search
- 1 2 Gustkey, Earl (July 19, 1987). "A Chicago-style Pan Am Games". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ↑ Ford, Liam T.A. Ford (October 1, 2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- 1 2 3 4 Dretske, Diana (December 8, 2008). "'59 Pan Am games brought Olympic-level competition to Lake Co". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gustkey, Earl (August 5, 1987). "PAN AM GAMES LEGACY: 1959 : It's Not Exactly Peace and Harmony". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ↑ Lyke, Bill (August 29, 1959). "Drive Out to the Pan-Am Games!". Chicago Tribune. pp. B1. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ↑ "Chicago Historic Velodromes & 6-day venues". Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ↑ "05/09/1959 – Brasil 1 x 1 Argentina". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ "29/08/1959 – Brasil 4 x 2 Costa Rica". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ↑ Pogorzelksi, Daniel; Maloof, John (2008). Portage Park. Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH, San Francisco CA: Arcadia Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7385-5229-3.